The present invention generally relates to fluid coupling assemblies and more particularly to a universal fluid coupling assembly that supports interchangeable fittings of different types to be used with a common housing based upon the type of mating coupling.
Today, a wide variety of coupling assemblies are used in fluid distribution systems. The coupling assemblies may be provided alone, or on various equipment, such as pumps, valves, circulators, meters and the like. Each type of coupling assembly is configured for use with a particular type of fluid, such as water, oil, fuel, sewage and the like. Examples of existing coupling types include flange fittings, threaded union fittings, sweat fittings, and NPT fittings.
For historic reasons, different applications have used certain types of couplings, regardless of whether such coupling remains today to be the most convenient for the application. Also, different geographic areas (e.g. different countries) may predominantly use certain types of couplings for a given application. For example, in Europe, a certain groundwater applications may utilize one type of coupling (e.g. a threaded union), while, in United States, the same groundwater application may utilize a different type of coupling (e.g. a flange).
For convenience, it is generally preferred to continue to use the same type of coupling that has historically been used in a certain application and geographic area. Continuity of use of the traditional coupling limits the need for plumbing to convert between different coupling types, as well as reduces the number of different types of couplings that an individual may need to carry or stock. Otherwise, one individual would be required to carry in stock numerous different types of couplings, where each type of coupling included a separate and dedicated overall structure. Consequently, it was unduly expensive to fully stock a wide variety of couplings and not practical for the “do it yourself” market or smaller contractors.
In recent times, more interest has been given to simplify the structures of, and steps for installing, fluid distribution systems and plumbing. The growing interest to simplify these systems and plumbing is due, in part, to the desire of contractors to improve efficiency and reduce inventory and, in part, due to the interest of individuals to perform more home repair and improvement.
A need remains for an universal coupling assembly that may be used in different applications and with different types of mating connectors. It is an object of certain embodiments of the present invention to address the above concerns and other problems experienced heretofore.